PEPE REINA is the man with the golden gloves - for the third successive season.

The Spanish stopper has again clocked up more clean sheets than any other Premier League keeper, providing yet more evidence to back up claims from his manager and team mates that he is one of the very best around.

Though justifiably proud of his personal achievements, Reina insists his thirst for success will not be quenched until the Liverpool team gets back to trophy winning ways.

The 25-year-old firmly believes it is only a matter of a time before that happens and is expecting a proper challenge for the Premier League title next season, with several players becoming more effective operators thanks to their growing experience of football in this country.

But he also feels Liverpool will need to recruit more players of the calibre of recent signings Fernando Torres and Javier Mascherano if their title dreams are to be realised.

"We are growing up as a team, year in and year out," he said.

"We need to keep improving all the time because if you do that it gives you an even better chance of winning trophies.

"But we also need to bring in some more good players like Torres and Mascherano.

"The most important thing is to keep on making progress so that we can get closer and closer to the sides at the top.

"We will work hard to make this happen though and I am sure the manager is already thinking of bringing in some players to help us to do that.

"It is a collective thing. There is no point in three or four players doing well if we do not all do well.

"You win as a team and you lose as a team, so it is all about making progress as a team.

"We are still a young side – we have a couple of centre backs in their early 20s, Mascherano is 23 and Torres is 24 – we can only get better and better."

It is a widely held perception that goalkeepers reach their peak as they enter their thirties, but with five more years to go before he reaches his fourth decade Reina is already showing the kind of consistently excellent form which marks him out as one of the world's top stoppers.

But, like the team he plays behind, the Spanish international insists there is still much more room for improvement.

"Of course I can get better," he said.

"Every player can improve and no one should ever think they can no longer get any better.

"You have to keep on working hard every day in training and in matches and if you do that then you have a chance to become the very best player you possibly can.

"That is the same for everyone in football and I am no different.

"I know there are things I can improve upon and I will continue to work hard so I can try to become better."

With 17 clean sheets to his name from 37 Premiership games, Reina has made it a hat-trick of golden gloves awards after also scooping the accolade in 2006 and 2007.

Portsmouth's David James is just one shut out behind the Spaniard but having been ruled out of this weekend's round of fixtures with a calf injury the England man is powerless to stop Reina from getting his hands on the award yet again.

Liverpool's season draws to a conclusion at Tottenham on Sunday afternoon and Reina will again be looking to keep the opposition scoreless – if selected.

Having played every minute of every single one of Liverpool's league games this season Reina has indicated he would be willing to make way for perennial understudy Charles Itandje to have a Premier League run out.

But should that not happen, he will have his heart set on seeing the White Hart Lane scoreboard read "Spurs 0" at the end of the 90 minutes.

He said: "I don't know if I will be playing yet but if I am I will be looking to keep another clean sheet because that would mean we will get at least a draw.

"That is always important. If you do not concede a goal then it gives you a better chance of winning games, so if the defence and the goalkeeper can do their jobs it makes it easier for the attacking players to do theirs.

"But for me the job is now done. We have managed to secure fourth place and from a personal point of view I am happy to get the golden gloves, so maybe that will mean the manager will let Charles Itandje play because he has worked hard all season and he deserves to play in this game.

"It is not my achievement though. It is an achievement for the team and the whole club because we are all in it together and you cannot get these kind of awards without everyone working together.

"It is always nice to get awards though and I will be very happy to put this one up at home because it is nice to be able to look at them when you are sat on your sofa."

Even though the season draws to a close on Sunday, Reina will not be able to put his feet up and admire his trophy collection for some time yet, as he will be named in the Spanish squad to contest this summer's European Championships in Austria and Switzerland.

When he returns to Liverpool Reina expects several changes to already have been made with players coming and going at Anfield – but he will not be among the departees.

"I am very happy here and nothing strange will happen," he said. "I will keep going for this club."